Basement Flooded? Get Organized!

The recent heavy rains caused many basements to flood. As much of a disaster and pain it is, find the silver lining and use it as an opportunity for major organizing. For those of you who have been putting off getting that basement storage area organized, now you have no choice, you have to go through it all. Here are some tips to help:

Be Ruthless. If something has been water-damaged, toss it if at all possible. It will not only make the whole job easier because you’ll have less stuff to deal with, it will also reduce clutter. Take advantage of the opportunity to do some major purging.

Don’t eliminate someone else’s stuff. If your husband’s tools and collections need an overhaul, don’t take this as your opportunity to get rid of his stuff, it will only cause more problems. Talk with him and set some time aside for him to make those decisions.

Avoid overwhelm. Don’t look at the area as one big mess (even if it is). Look at each item and make decisions. It’s a waste of time to worry about it, now you have no choice, just dig in.

Create Zones. If you have a basement full of all kinds of different clutter, create zones of like items so you can start to create some semblance of order.

Contain. After you’ve sorted like items together, determine what containers are best and begin organizing items into the proper containers. We like these.

Label. It’s great to have items sorted into containers, but before long you’re going to forget what’s in them. Clearly label and even post a list on the outside of the container so you know exactly what’s inside.

Smile! Getting a daunting project tackled is a great feeling.

Although you may have been forced to clean out your basement, it will feel great when it’s finished (and hopefully waterproofed).

Monica Friel is president and founder of Chaos to Order. Monica manages and trains a staff of professional organizers who specialize in everything from household clutter to corporate chaos. She also represents brands and speaks publicly as an expert in the field of organizing.
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